The best bars in the world

What's your poison – a pint or a pilsner, vin rouge or vodka? As the party season starts, our experts, including Man Booker prize-winner DBC Pierre, choose the best joints in great boozing destinations

American dive bars

Jumbo's Clown Room, Los Angeles Above a windowless red-brick wall in an East Hollywood strip mall, the faded sign for Jumbo's Clown Room looks like it might have been stolen from a disused fairground. Jumbo, one imagines, was not a nice clown. A picture of a burlesque pin-up girl beckoning from inside a cocktail glass attempts to lighten the tone, but even she looks worried, possibly drowning in champagne rather than waving.

Inside, Jumbo's has all the features of a classic dive bar. The drinks are stiff and cheap. Regulars hunch in dark corners while hipsters from all over the city jostle among the historic ephemera – grinning clown dolls and photographs of scantily clad women. Legend has it David Lynch wrote the screenplay for Blue Velvet in the back corner booth, which gives a good sense of the sleazy, cinematic ambience.

Be warned, though: it's odder than your average dive. Courtney Love used to dance here, and a similar style of rock chick still swings under a mirrored ceiling at the right of the bar. The girls choose their songs from a jukebox and many of them make their own costumes. It's dirty, kitschy and fun. In the afternoons, LA industry types pore over their film scripts next to alcoholics who look like they've been at the same table since Jumbo's opened in 1970. It's the sort of place you end up by mistake at midnight on a Tuesday, but somehow never regret.• 5153 Hollywood Blvd, jumbos.com

And three more …•The Summer Place in San Francisco (801 Bush St) is the perfect downtown dive. Chain-smoke, sip whiskey by the fireplace and listen to Fleetwood Mac in the barely illuminated darkness.

•In New York, shaky furniture, a crowded pool table and an epic jukebox make Sophie's (507 East 5th St)the place where the East Village goes to fall off the wagon and on to a table of cheap tequila.

•The Double Down Saloon in Las Vegas (4640 Paradise Rd, doubledownsaloon.com) is a low-ceilinged punk rock dive, not for the faint-hearted. But psychedelic murals, live bands, a gritty drinks menu and a cast of lunatic Vegas outsiders make it a much-loved antidote to the strip.Anna Stothard

Proper British pubs

The Albion, ConwyWhen separating good pubs from exceptional ones, what matters most? Appearance? Of course. No one wants a boozer that looks like it's been assembled from an alcoholic Ikea catalogue. Atmosphere? Obviously. Beer? Goes without saying.

The Albion ticks all those boxes and a few others. It sits within the town's 13th-century walls, just off Conwy's refreshingly chain-free high street. Its art deco interior is less a dusted-down museum piece, more a well-appointed time capsule. The modern world – rolling sports coverage, happy hours, fruit machines juke box – never got a look in.

After Punch Taverns deemed the pub a dead loss and jettisoned it in 2010, a businessman took the site on and offered it to Llandudno brewery Great Orme. Feeling too small to take it on alone, it proposed bringing in three other brewers – Conwy Brewery, Bragdy Nant in Llanrwst, and Purple Moose from Porthmadog. Each brewery gets to use the pub as a showcase space. It's this welcome shot of community spirit(s) that elevates the place to the exceptional. • Upper Gate Street, conwybrewery.co.uk

And three more ...•The Front in Falmouth (Custom House Quay) looks as if it has been tunnelled from beneath the quay buildings. A visit here is like gate-crashing a beer festival in a warm and welcoming living room.

Ye Old Mitre Tavern, London. Photograph: Alamy

•All but hidden from view down a tiny alley off Hatton Garden, Ye Olde Mitre (1 Ely Court, Ely Place) in the City of London feels completely untouched by the 21st century, with ancient settles and tiny rooms. The current building dates from 1772, but the original tavern was built for servants at the nearby palace of the Bishop of Ely in the late 1500s.

•The 18th-century Old Crownin the picturesque village of Hesket Newmarket to the north of the Lake District has its own microbrewery to the rear. It was so well-loved by the locals that 125 of them collectively bought it in 2003, creating Britain's first community-owned pub.Robin Turner

Mexican tequila bars

Bar La Opera, Mexico City. Photograph: Alamy

Bar La Opera, Mexico CityTequila's reputation as a shot is busted. The stuff we used to throw down with salt and lemon is the equivalent of bad navy rum against smoky blue agaves and French-oak reposados of today. And as long as we're busting stereotypes, Mexico City is the place to catch up on tequila, and bust a few more – because forget sombreros, apart from As well as Aztecs and Spaniards the country was also taken by Napoleon III of France – it once even had an Austro-Hungarian emperor complete with palace.

All this left marks between the pyramids and churches – and one great mark they left is Bar La Opera, a Parisian-style cantina in the old heart of the city. Originally opened as a patisserie by two French sisters in the 19th century, La Opera has hosted the cast of Mexican history on its way to becoming a bar; there's still a bullet fired by Pancho Villa lodged in the baroque gold-leaf ceiling. You can sit under it and drink.

The style is down to a 19th-century president who believed in aristocracy and wanted to remodel the city on Paris; he was Porfirio Diaz, and this was his pet haunt. La Opera isn't specifically a tequila bar – just the grand duke of bars in the capital of tequila. Gabriel García Márquez, Carlos Fuentes, Octavio Paz and virtually every president of Mexico have helped, and still help, to burnish the wood around the bar, a one-off objet fetched from New Orleans way back when.

But this isn't a museum showpiece, an old boys' club, a place to be seen, or a tourist trap: it's the real thing, a working cantina with good ice, with career waiters quietly bustling, with proud Mexican food, and with doors that swing open on to one of the capital's oldest and most significant avenues; one that Spanish, French, and a variety of Mexican troops have marched up and down on their way to capture this home of gods.

Plenty of them stopped here; and we can stop here.

Like all great cantinas it's a place to feel your heart, gain inspiration, and speak the truth. Of a night you might hear salsas and cumbias clunking out of the club over the street. Tap your feet, order the chipotle snails, and get a start on the tequila. Just remember you're already more than 2,200m up.

And three more ...•La Mezcaleria (396 Campeche) is a rustic favourite showing that Mezcal, tequila's unwashed brother, has come a long way too. Choose from more than 100.

•My childhood haunt, La Invencible (Doctor Gálvez 7) is possibly the smallest cantina you ever drank in. Nothing for it but to make friends.

•Or if you don't want to muck about: Salon España, right next to Templo Mayor, the main pyramid and city centre since 1325, has 250 tequilas on the menu.DBC Pierre, Man Booker prize-winning author of Vernon God Little

German bier kellers

Augustiner Keller, Munich. Photograph: Alamy

Augustiner Keller, MunichThe Augustiner, which dates from 1812, has survived several wars and a fire to retain its position at the centre of Munich's social life: it has a cosy dark wood interior of the most relaxed and atmospheric sort, and headstrong, no-nonsense – but friendly – staff. Among its most popular beers are: Augustiner Helles, a lager beer; Edelstoff ("noble stuff"), slighter, sweeter more bubbly; Dunkles, a dark malt beer; and Pils.

As befits a traditional bier keller, it serves the sort of hearty fare that Müncheners have been feasting on for centuries, including cheese platters, roasted pork belly, liver sausage, gherkins and pretzels. Portions are generous and prices very reasonable.

In 1842, according to city records, the tavern on this site was described as "one of the finest in Munich, despite the fact that it is located directly opposite the Munich execution site".•Arnulfstrasse 52, augustinerkeller.de

And three more ...•Pinkus in Munster (Kreuzstrasse 4-10) is the only survivor of 150 city breweries, run by the fifth and sixth generations of the original family. Its organic brews, made to secret recipes, range from top-fermented Pinkus Alt to low-alcohol Pinkus Leicht.

•Literally the "court brewery", Hofbräuhaus am Platzl (Platzl 9) in Munich, was founded in the late 16th century by the Duke of Bavaria. One of its famous stammgäste (regulars) was a 25-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who lived nearby and claimed to have written his 1781 opera Idomeneo after several visits there, and Adolf Hitler organised political meetings here. It specialises in wheat beers.

•The gargantuan Auerbachskellerin Leipzig (Grimmaische Strasse 2-4) dates from the early 15th century and is a particular draw for literary types because of the description of it in Goethe's play Faust. Kate Connolly

Warsaw vodka bars

Przekaski ZakaskiA decade ago, tourists coming to Warsaw were surprised to find very little vodka being consumed. But like in Britain, the Polish national drink is beer: Poles are more likely to choose a cold, golden Tyskie, Okocim, Zywiec, Lech or Królewskie beer than a spirit.

But a new trend has taken Polish drinking habits by storm. The vodka-and-snack bar began as a tongue-in-cheek throwback to communism. The pioneer was Przekaski Zakaski, a stand-up place opposite the glamorous Hotel Bristol on Warsaw's poshest street. It serves vodka shots at four zlotys (about 80p) a throw, and portions of sausage, herring or paté for little more. Rumour has it the first bar staff were out-of-work actors, carefully rehearsed to deliver convincing Iron Curtain service. Poles loved the joke, and neat vodka has become fashionable again – or was it ever? • ul. Krakowskie Przedmiescie 13, facebook.com/przekaski

And three more ...•Klub Klaps (Nowy Swiat 22/28, klaps is Polish for "spank") is not strictly a vodka-and-snack bar as there are no snacks, but it is at the heart of Warsaw's offbeat scene. It has dildos for beer taps and a wall decorated entirely with false breasts. Expect Bettie Page strip shows, 1960s garage rock – and vodka.

•The always crowded Pijalnia Wodki i Piwa(Nowy Swiat 19has taken the vodka and snack formula and run with it. It has newspapers for wallpaper – handy because it gets very messy at about 3am on Saturdays.

•The Warszawska (Plac Zbawiciela 5) is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and has a view out onto an installation of a gigantic rainbow, in front of a Catholic church. Simplicity is key – a drink and something to wash down with it. Beer or Wyborowa vodka, herring and pickles, in a plain unfinished-looking interior.Kamila Poznanska

Parisian zinc bars

Le Baron Rouge, Paris. Photograph: Alamy

Le Baron RougeZinc bars are anything but a piece of furniture: they are the heartbeat of traditional Parisian cafes and bistros. These bars, traditionally made of galvanised steel (but sometimes now from copper or brass) form the epicentre of whole neighbourhoods, offering drinks and comforting food.

Le Baron Rouge doesn't look much from the outside and appears older than its 33 years, but you'll have a truly French experience here. It might feel like you are crashing a party, but be brave, bustle in and they'll welcome you with open arms. Arrive early and you can get a seat on one of the banquettes. Wine comes in bottles, glasses, or from the barrel. We counted 60 wines, with small glasses for €1.50 – a miracle in Paris. Soak it up with the rillettes and charcuterie plates which appear without you asking.

By 7pm you'll be lucky to get in, but hang with the crowds on the street, and there'll be people playing cards, a lot of French chatter, and veterans rocking up with empty bottles to fill from the barrels. On Sundays you'll find oysters heaped in baskets, with a man there to shuck them. • 1 rue Théophile Roussel, 12th arrondissement

And three more ...

•Fish La Boissonnerie (69 rue de Seine, 6th) is perfect for anyone tired of trying to speak French. An ex-pat Mancunian couple have put together an unrivalled Languedoc/Roussillon wine list in an old fish shop. Sit at the bar and order simple sharing plates, and try vinous gems from the Languedoc's Pic St Loup in particular.

•Café Bô Zinc (59 avenue Mozart, 16th) has a slightly more modern feel, but you can eat and drink for under €20 – and keep drinking till 2am, on leather banquettes at wooden tables adorned with lamps. Stay and drink into the evening: the music gets turned up a little and so does the vibe.

•Café Le Pure (14 rue Jean Macé, 11th, purecafe.fr) has a unique U-shaped zinc bar, and three sides of it are windows, so light streams in. It's bursting with mirrors, vintage art, chandeliers and pretty lamps. Find Romain at the bar: he has great stories and even better wine. A lot of people come in here to re-enact Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy's scene from Before Sunset.Tatiana Mercer, editor of barchick.com

Belgian beer bars

Daringman, Brussels, Belgium PR

Daringman, BrusselsBrussels is home to a good 540 bars, some sleek and styled like a Parisian cocktail lounge, others still bearing the aroma of yesterday's party, with echoes of the Black Eyed Peas. For typical Brussels atmosphere, head to the Daringman, in the "brown bar" district close to place Sainte-Catherine. It has barely room for 40 people, and that's what makes it so nice. Next to a good selection of Trappist and out-of-the-ordinary beers (try a Gageleer), you'll discover an artistic (not arty) and healthily uncommercial attitude. •rue de Flandre 37

And three more ...

• The people who run Waagstuk in Antwerp (Stadswaag 20)are really serious about their beers: they age them like wine. Six-month-old Orval Trappist ale is affordable, but a 2007 Drie Fonteinen is only for true aficionados, at €24 a glass.

• Els, the barkeeper at Onverwacht Geluk in Gent (Burgstraat 590) is a pure-bred: she only closes when the last barfly drops off his stool. Jazzy soundtrack, steady clientele, no tourists except you.

• At Fiere Margrietin studenty Leuven (Margarethaplein 11, )there are more than 270 beers on the list. You could do worse than choose the one with the funniest label, which is probably a Zwijntje ("little swine").Nicolas Marichal, travel writer and contributor to the Belgian edition of the Use-It website for young travellers,use-it.be

Tokyo izakayas

Albatross Bar, Tokyo PR

Albatross Omoide YokochoThe best drinking in Tokyo is alleyway drinking. Most neighbourhoods still boast a warren of cheap izakayas and yakitori stalls. Rock up at the open-air bar, order a lager and maybe a grilled skewer of mystery organ meat and banter with the locals in whoever's foreign-language skills are least atrocious. Queen of the alleyways is Shinjuku's Omoide Yokocho ("Piss Alley" – more welcoming than it sounds), and the jewel in her crown is Albatross. It's a slip of a bar: three tiny floors, connected by ancient steps, and with a penchant for chandeliers, velour and taxidermy. Squeeze up on to the roof with your oolong tea highball and drink the night away in the glow of the city lights.• 1-2-11 Nishi-Shinjuku, alba-s.com

And three more ...Nihonshu (sake) cocktails are set to be the next big drinking trend, and you can find dozens of concoctions at stylish Sake Hall Hibiya Bar(B1 Miyuki Building, 5-6-12 Ginza, hibiya-bar.com/shop/sake_hall), a collaboration among the country's sake brewers – with drinks from around ¥600 (about £4.50).

For a laid-back izakaya with unbeatable prices and a surprisingly great menu in posh Omotesando, you can't do better than funky Nakanishi (5-6-7 Minami-Aoyama) where no beer, shochu, sake or sour will set you back more than ¥500 and sometimes half that.

A Tokyo institution, the Lion Beer Hall (7-9-20 Ginza, ginzalion.jp) pre-dates the second world war: it's a cavernous, wood-panelled, ersatz Bavarian monstrosity but a particularly Japanese place to clink dai jokki – oversized glasses – of Sapporo, and belt out Hey Jude with a group of salarymen (they really love that song).Chris Michael